Mangaluru: NITI Aayog president V K Saraswath said that, in order to reduce crude oil imports to India, the government has to focus on increasing the use of methanol to meet the ever rising demand for fuel.

Addressing the media in Mangaluru on Friday, he said that the NITI Aayog was in talks with research institutions for this purpose.

Saraswath said that the demand for LPG had steadily risen in recent years and LPG was also being imported.

“By using methanol as an alternative fuel, the country can meet nearly 20% of its LPG demand,” the Aayog president pointed out.

Indian Oil Corporation President Dr Sanjay spoke and said that, from April 2018, Delhi may become the first metro to use of Bharat Standard-VI (BS-VI) fuel.